Motorola FLIPOUT for AT&T Review

Introduction:

So far, AT&T customers have been exposed to a healthy dealing of mid-range Android powered handsets. For those interested in a sub $100 priced smartphone, the Motorola FLIPOUT will instantly come to view with its intriguing form factor and entry level contract price of $79.99. Even with its inexpensive costs, it doesn't always necessarily translate to a deep and comforting experience.

Design:

Easily the most intriguing part of the Motorola FLIPOUT is its form factor, which is essentially a square shaped device with a swiveling front panel that exposes its QWERTY. Although it's constructed out of some cheap feeling plastic, there is a sense of charm that it exudes and blatantly stands out.



You can compare the Motorola FLIPOUT with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

There's not much to say with the FLIPOUT's 2.8” QVGA (320 x 240) display with its support for 262k colors – it's visibly washed out looking and suffers from some poor viewing angles.

We're not particularly fond of its hard to press volume rocker and dedicated button. Thanks to the QWERTY, we didn't experience any issues accidentally pressing any of its capacitive buttons. In the rear, you'll find the 3.1-megapixel camera with self portrait mirror and a notch for its speaker phone. Finally, yanking off the rear cover will provide access to the SIM card slot, battery, and microSD card slot.



Just like the Motorola CHARM, we like the layout and feel of the FLIPOUT's physical keyboard. In addition, the prominent and decently sized buttons are more than acceptable in typing out a message.

Interface and Features:

The Motorola FLIPOUT is a full blown MOTOBLUR device, so love it or hate it, the customized experience should appease most people. Powered by a 720MHz processor, it obviously isn't the most responsive, but at least it'll get the job done in the end.



If for some odd reason you prefer not using the physical keyboard, you'll still have the option of the on-screen one. Yes, it's extremely cramped and not as responsive as we'd like, but the option is there if you need it.



The email experience doesn't differ from other Android handsets as generic clients are easily configured. If you like instant messaging more, you'll have the choice of AIM, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger.



Multimedia:

You can overlook the FLIPOUT if you're into photos since it produces some soft and dull looking images outdoors with its fixed focused camera. Indoors shot don't get any better seeing that images look underexposed and somewhat more fuzzy.





The same thing applies with its less than appealing video capture quality – which has a maximum shooting resolution of 352 x 288; so don't expect to witness any stunning visuals with this one.

Its music player is typical to other Android handsets, but the paltry audio quality emitted by its speaker won't blow you away.

Video playbackshould be sufficient for most people, aside from its low-res display, since it's able to run them smoothly without much slowdown.

Luckily, the handset comes preloaded with a 2GB microSD card which should be adequate enough for most people to get by with.

Connectivity and Data:

Global travelers probably won't mind taking the FLIPOUT abroad since it packs quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS connectivity with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.1.

With a slower processor in tow, it doesn't offer the most intuitive scrolling or zooming web browsing experience. And with its low resolution display, it makes text look garbled in an overview position.